Adjustable joist support



' Nov. 28, 1939. w. J. MAsdNER ADJUSTABLE JOINT SUPPORT Filed July 25, 1938 IN VENT OR lZ/z/Za'cwa J lfcw-oizer BY ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED vstares artiste creme 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a new and improved adjustable joist support and more particularly to the type of support adapted for use in connection with joists which are cut away in connection with 5 the installation of furnace pipes, drain pipes.

ventilation passagesor the like.

It is customary in usual building construction to support floors upon joists which are spaced apart distances which are less than the space required for installation of heating pipes or ventilation pipes, especially those in connection with the so-called pipeless furnaces or air conditioning equipment. The usual method of installation requires cutting a hole in the floor, followed by cutting a section out of the joist or joists, which must be cut away to permit passage of the pipe or the like. It is then customary to nail a section of lumber, similar in size to the joist, across the end of the cut-away joist and support 20 the ends of this plank from adjacent joists. Such an operation ordinarily requires shoring up of the cut joists, since the plank across the end cannot be put in position until after the cutting takes place. All of the work involved requires considerable labor time and materials and therefore is rather costly. It also does not permit of an adjustable construction but one which must be carefully aligned and maintained in position after installation to prevent sagging of floors. 30 It is an object of the present invention to provide a joist support for use insupporting cut away joists, from adjacent joists, which joist support is stronger and more easily installed than the usual header joist construction.

It is a further object to provide a joist support which may be installed prior to cutting the joist, a section of which is to be supported.

It is also an object to provide a support of this character which is adjustable and adapted for use with joists of different depths and different spacings, and which with a single size of joist support will take care of substantially all normal joist supporting requirements.

It is an additional object to provide a joist support which is adapted for use in multiple units where a plurality of adjacent joists require support.

It is another object to provide a construction which is simple in design and adapted for rapid installation with a minimum of labor costs.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

I have shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation showing a floor section with my improved joist support installed thereon; f

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the construction of Figure 1, showing the method of installa- ,5 tion; and

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic showing of an installationwhere a plurality of joists are supported.

Referring first to Figure 1, two continuous lO joists are shown at H and 52, these joists sup porting a floor i3 and a ceiling it. An intermediate joist iii is shown as sawed off to permit installation of the air duct 35. The U-shaped plate H is secured to the lower face of the joist 45 by means of the nail it. It will be understood that this nail has a temporary holding function of securing the member in position during the installation and also tends to prevent lateral drift of the member.

The two coach screws l8 and I9 having the pointed wood screw ends it] and 2! are also formed with machine threads on their opposite end portions 22 and 23. These threaded portions 22 and 23 pass through arcuate slots in the U- shaped plate 5? and are provided with the half cylindrical washers 2d and 25 which bear against the inside of the U-shaped plate H. The machine nuts 2% and 2? are threaded onto the adjacent ends of the coach screws and serve to hold the parts in adjusted position.

In the installation oi the adjustable joist support, pilot holes 28 and 29 may be bored through the joists i! and i2, these holes being slightly smaller than the wood screw threaded ends of the coach screws. The U-shaped member may be nailed in position to secure the proper alignment for the pilot holes. After these holes are bored, the coach screws are passed through the U-shaped member and threaded into the pilot holes. The half cylindrical washers are then slipped over the adjacent ends of the coach screws, after which the machine nuts are turned up to bring the parts to proper adjusted position. The surplus threaded portion of each of the coach screws can be out oh? if desired, after the machine nuts are turned up.

Due to the fact that the coach screws pass through elongated slots in the U-shaped member H, as indicated at 30 on Figure 2, it is possible to use the hanger with joists of differing depths and differing spaces. It will be understood, of course, that the coach screws may be furnished in different lengths to meet different requirements, although one length of bolt with a long machine thread will be proper for any sized joist spaced up to 18 inches. threaded portion of the bolts can be cut off for smaller joists or smaller openings. As indicated in the diagrammatic showing of Figure 3, it is possible by use of two of the joist supports to properly support two cut joists 3| and 32 from adjacent continuous joists 33 and 34. While the joist support has been described particularly for use in supporting ends of cut joists, it will be apparent that it is equally suitable for the supporting of weak, bent or split joists which by means of my improved support may have their load or any portion of it transferred to adjacent joists.

The construction is also adapted for use in building construction where it is desirable to transfer a portion of the load on one joist, such as a partition located above the joist, to adjacent joists. The improved support facilitates installation with a minimum of disturbance to the ceiling and fioor, which may be carried by the joists.

For a complete installation of the joist support on a plastered ceiling, only a three inch square of plaster need be removed to permit installation of the U-shaped plate H. The joists can be cut from above through the opening cut in the finished floor when the joists are cut away. The improved construction is applicable The surplus machine to any building construction where it is desired to prevent sagging joists and creaky floors. Where joists are cut they are supported before they are cut, thus preventing the possibility of their sagging or lowering, which may occur in usual ways of supporting such joists after they are cut. The load is transferred to the upper portion of the adjacent joists so that any tendency to twist or tilt them is minimized.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of my construction, it is capable of change and modification to meet varying conditions and requirements and I contemplate such changes as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

Iclaim:

An adjustable joist support comprising an intermediate joist engaging member, adapted to engage the lower face of a joist, means for securing the member to the joist said member having downturned arcuate end portions provided with slotted openings therein, coach screws passing through the slotted openings, the free ends of the screws being adapted to be screwed into adjacent joists, rounded washers fitted on 25 said screws adjacent the under arcuate faces of the intermediate member, and nuts threaded on the ends of the screws adjacent said washers.

WILLIAM J. MASONER. so 

